Basic Candle Magick

Author: Anja Heij

Burning a candle has something magical; our unconsciousness
recognizes the connection between earth and infinite creative
heaven symbolized by the burning candle. No electric lamp can
ever beat a simple candle when it comes to bringing a warm and
cosy atmosphere in which we feel at home.
Burning a candle for a beloved one in a church with a wish is
a simple form of magick.
Blowing out the candles on a birthday cake while making a wish
in fact is candle magick.
You may want to put a white candle at the positions north, east,
south and west in the magickal circle.
Or you may wish to position five candles in the form of a pentagram.

Candle magick works like this:

Choose one or more candles in the color(s) appropriate to
your magickal goal. ( See Color magick
)

Your candles have to be virgin, what means not used before.
This is important, because used candles carry the energies of
former use with them, what may disturb or diminish the effectiveness
of your present ritual. Always use new candles for a ritual,
even if you do two rituals of the same kind after one another,
for instance a healing for person A and for person B. But if
your ritual needs to be repeated several days then of course
you can use the same candles for the same type ritual for the
same person during successive days.

Now you have to charge the candle for your purpose. By charging
it you bring your own energies and magickal desires into the
candle. By charging it you also mentally start the process of
focusing on your goal and physically make contact with the representation
of your aim. You make a psychic link with the candle. You charge
the candle(s) by:

1.Carving the name of the person or your goal in it with a small
knife. Do this concentrated.

2. You anoint it, what means that you rub it in with oil while
visualizing your spell. This is also called 'dressing' the candle.
You can dress the candle with pure olive oil or a suitable essential
oil. In any magick that is 'calling' (attracting things, like
money, health, love) you rub the oil from the top of the candle
to the base. In 'banishing' magick (getting rid of things, like
negative influences, addictions) you rub the oil from the base
of the candle to the top.

Put the candle in the holder and light it. Visualize your
goal for as long as you can, or recite affirmations (one world
or a sentence) for a time. Then put the candle out. Repeat this
for several days, at least three, until you get results. Then
let the candle burn all the way out.

Another way of working is this: don't carve your message in
the candle, but write it on a piece of paper while visualizing
your goal, and burn it completely in the candle flame. Be careful:
put the candlestick into a larger plate or chalice for this
goal, for I know this will most of the time become a mess. While
burning it concentrate completely on your goal. Then let the
candle burn all the way out. (You don't need to stay around,
but be careful: it is fire!)

Always burn a white candle too, as purification and protection
against negativity. This is your altar candle, which can be
used any ritual until it is burned away. So in candle magick
there will always be at least two candles: one altar candle
and one anointed ritual candle.

Candle magick can be combined with other color magick, sex magick
or other forms of magick.

Here, contributor Somala Diby, in preparation for Halloween, seeks out magic and the occult on Columbia's campus. It's that time of year again. The time when girls parade around as sexified bunnies and magic floats through the air.